Discovery
by sailorillyana
Summary: Minako Aino's life has been shrouded in tragedy, on top of feeling as though she's lost her purpose in life (despite being the infamous Sailor V). When she's issued a new partner on the force, her life takes a turn for the better, but not without consequences. (Rated M to err on the side of caution.) R&R Please!
1. Chapter 1: New

~C'est la vie anata ga anata aru riyuu~

~C'est la vie anata ga anata aru riyuu~

Six o'clock is way too fucking early, especially for work.

~C'est la vie ana-~

"Shut the fuck up," I moaned as I hit the snooze button. Another nine minutes of sleep should do the trick, I think.

~C'est la v-~

Fuck. I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed and the pain of regret only a hangover could deliver filled my head. Maybe seven shots of vodka on a work night wasn't such a good idea. I cradled my bead in my hands, resolving that a few glasses of water and upwards of a hundred pain killers should do the trick. I slowly rose to my feet and noticed, at the foot of my bed, an unfamiliar pile of clothes on the floor. _Not again_.

"Why are you up so early?" Came a soft voice from beneath my sheets, "Come back to bed."

I ripped the blankets back. "Out!" I snapped at the woman who was lying there naked, "I've got work and you need to leave." Shit, this yelling is not helping my hangover. I could hold my alcohol well enough, but hangovers were an entirely different demon. "Seriously, go."

The stranger rolled out of my bed in a similar fashion and began to collect her clothes without a word, though the disappointment was painted all over her face. At least she was beautiful; I had the habit of picking the bad apples of the bunch. Once she left, I got some water and a few pills in me and realized that I was running late. God dammit. No one else had to be at the station until 8, but I had 45 minutes worth of security clearances to pass through. It was all part of the job, of course. That being said, it didn't matter about what I wore. I changed when I got there anyway – not as part of the security, it just kind of happened. I decided for some sweats and a tee shirt, though the lackadaisical clothes didn't stop me from putting that stupid red bow in my hair, placed lazily on the top of my bun. No one, aside from myself, knew the purpose of the bow. It was symbolism reserved for only me – as I am the only person I can trust.

~Kiseki mo yume mo misete ageru; hateshinaku uruwashiku La Soldier~

~Kiseki mo yume mo misete ageru; hateshinaku uruwashiku La Soldier~

~Kiseki mo yume mo mis-~

"What?" I barked into the phone.

"You're late, Minako." Captain Sasaki reminded me.

"I'm coming, Captain. On my way out right now." I hung up as he began to complain, grabbing my keys and a breakfast bar as I walked through the kitchen of my small apartment and through the front door. The hangover still weighed on my shoulders, but this wasn't my first time wrestling one at work.

I heaved my leg over the seat of my black 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250R and shoved the key into the ignition. I should've been in a hurry, but I didn't care; I never did, as a matter of fact. I slid my helmet on, fastening it under my chin, and drove to the meet-up point two miles out from my apartment building, parking my bike in the parking garage and walking to the Captain's car, a red 2013 Honda Civic LX. Round one of security clearances complete.

"Good morning, Minako." He said monotonously as I slipped into the passenger seat, "I brought you some green tea. I'm sure you need it after last night." The thermos he handed me was warm, and the tea scalding hot. Perfect.

I took a huge gulp and then looked at him, "Thanks. And what are you talking about?"

Captain Sasaki was in his mid-40s, short and chubby, married with two kids, and an all-around asshole. He gave a gruff laugh, "Me and the wife went out for dinner and I saw your bike at the bar."

"Shit," I groaned as I took another drink of tea. "Yeah, I don't remember half of last night. I'm not even sure how I drove home." I flipped open the sun visor and proceeded to open the mirror to fix my hair and readjust the bow in my hair where the helmet mussed it up.

"I believe that." The ride was silent for a few minutes, aside from me realizing that it was time to transform as we were nearing the second security point. "I won't look, Minako. I never do," he promised as I pulled out my transformation wand and set the thermos in the cup holder.

"I know you won't." I called forth my transformation and within seconds, I donned a mini pleated skirt that was blue with red trim, a white and red midriff with a red bow on the chest, crescent moons on my forehead and neck, white gloves with orange hems, a blue and red collar, blue heels, and of course, the infamous red mask. Afterward, I picked up the thermos of tea and began to work on the rest of it.

We sat in silence for a few minutes as the second security post came even closer. "I'm assigning you a partner," he mentioned out of the blue.

I nearly spit out the tea. "Like hell you are! I do not need a partner," I fumed, "and I refuse to work with the assholes on this force."

"One, yes you do. You need someone to keep you from killing half of the perps you detain. Two, I'm hiring someone new for the safety of the rest of the force, since you won't hurt someone you don't hate," he explained with a slight scowl.

"One, I only kill them with _explicit_ permission from their victims. Two, I'll probably hate the guy you hire, too." I put the thermos back into the cup holder and crossed my arms.

"She's a woman," he corrected. "Fresh out of the academy. Twenty-two, very sharp. Sergeant Masami Miyagi. I think you'll like her." He pulled into the underground garage at the station.

"A rookie? We'll see," I said, a hopeful smile fighting its way to my lips. I always did get along better with women, anyway.

"You've been with us for six months. _You're _still a rookie," he scolded.

We pulled up to our first stop and Captain Sasaki rolled down the window. An officer with dark sunglasses and an angry look on his face poked his head in, assessing the inside of the car. "Did anyone follow you?"

Sasaki shook his head, "No, and I checked the car for bugs before I left." My identity required extensive protection, and it was pretty annoying to go through this shit everyday.

The officer looked at me, implying the same questions. "Nothing suspicious around the apartment building. Just the typical weirdos and lonely early birds. Nothing to write home about."

He gave us the go-ahead to advance to the next security point, where it was more of the same thing. They asked us similar questions and we continued on. The next point was another story underground, where only a select few were allowed to enter. We pulled into a parking spot and exited the car. "Almost done," the captain remarked.

We climbed out of the car and the sound of him locking the doors echoed throughout the underground garage. Next, we had a retinal scan and a fingerprint check. It was all really, really tedious and one of my many least favorite parts of working for the Tokyo PD.

"I hate this shit," I complained as we stepped into the elevator next to the last security check station.

Captain rolled his eyes, "You complain about it everyday. This is the security we go through for undercover detectives and the ever-important Sailor V. You all get yourselves into dangerous situations and-"

"We get ourselves into them, huh? The perps get us into these dangerous situations. No fault of mine, especially," I reminded, gritting my teeth and remembering the day I discovered my true identity.

"Regardless, this is how it has to be. I just hope you'll either get used to it one day or get so fucking frustrated with it that you suffer in silence like I do." I looked away from him. He was right, but that didn't make this whole process any better. "Sergeant Miyagi should be here by now, though, so you two get to meet."

"I'm absolutely thrilled," I muttered without emotion.

"I figured you'd at least be glad it's a woman," his voice had a hint of disappointment.

"I am glad, I get along so much better with them," I said, ignoring the offensive under-the-breath comment he made about my sexuality. "I just hate the idea of having a partner. You might as well demote me."

"Min-Sailor V. Grow up, okay? We've all had partners and it isn't even a big fucking deal. Stop being such a goddamn child." The elevator dinged and the doors opened. "Follow me and I'll introduce you two."

I dragged behind him and all of the other sergeants and detectives glared at me. They weren't my biggest fans, mostly due to my high detainment rate and also my high rate of perps being killed on-scene. They all hated me and I _gladly _reciprocated the feeling. I was having a glaring war with one of the detectives when the Captain dead stopped in front of me, causing me to run into him. Everyone else loved that. Assholes.

"Now, Sailor V, if you'll _pay attention _long enough, you'll know that this," he stuck his hand out in front of him, palm up, "is your new partner, Sergeant Miyagi. Sergeant, this is the ever-famous Sailor V. Good luck. You ladies will go out on patrol in ten minutes, so get acquainted." He walked away and I glared as I watched him go.

I bowed in introduction and as I looked up, she had the brightest smile on her face, and it nearly took my breath away. "Sergeant Masami Miyagi. It's a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you, Sailor V." With black hair, a pixie cut and beautiful green eyes, she stood six inches shorter than me and was very thin. In short, she was flawless.

I cleared my throat and shook myself of the shock, "Sailor V. It's an honor, Sergeant."

Her smile grew impossibly wider and my heart jumped, "You can call me Masami."

"It's... it's... it's great to meet you, Ma-Masami." I stuttered. God dammit, I'm so bad at this.

"If you're ready, I was just going to fill up my coffee and we can go out on patrol." She was way too nice, and I kind of liked it.

I smiled at her, "I don't know how ready you are for being partnered with Sailor V, but we'll see how it goes. I've gotta get my gun and taser and we can head out."

She stopped on her way to the coffee pot and turned, giving me a strange look, "You don't carry them with you?"

I scratched my head, wondering why the hell she wasn't briefed on my abilities, or how she hadn't seen any of the various investigative news stories about me, "Well, uh, I don't necessarily need them."

She covered the rest of the distance to the counter to fill her travel cup and then walked over to me, "What if something happens while you're off duty?"

I tried to stifle my laughter. The poor girl, she didn't know anything about me. "You'll see, Masami. Don't worry." I turned on my heel and began to head to the station lot to my patrol car. I looked over my shoulder, "There's a reason Captain wished you luck, and it wasn't because he doesn't think we'll get along."

Masami giggled light-heartedly, "I look forward to figuring it out."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Let me know what you think! :) I want this story to be good, so I'm open to hearing how to improve it! (Just a heads up: this is going to be a pretty heavy story at times, so just a general warning that there may be some things coming up that aren't Comfortable to read.)


	2. Chapter 2: History

**Author's Note**: Reviews are not required but of course, much appreciated. Let me know if the choppiness of it is confusing, because I have the next chapter organized like this so if it makes no sense, I gotta know so I can change that! (Also, happy belated birthday to our lovely main character, Minako!)

* * *

"_Happy birthday, Minako," I whispered to myself as I blew out the single candle nestled in the store-bought cupcake in front of me. I was 18 and it mattered to no one, especially not to me. I had a fork to eat it with, but mostly just poked and prodded it until it was a crumbled mess of cake and frosting on the small plate. Birthdays hadn't been important since my younger sister was murdered on hers two years ago. A tear slid down my cheek and I took a deep breath, sitting back in my chair. My parents hardly spoke to me anymore, and my birthday was no longer any sort of occasion for them._

_My window latch had been loose for some time already, so it never disturbed me when a gust of wind pushed it open and caused it to squeak. I wiped the tear from my cheek with a knuckle and sighed, "Come on, Minako. There's no point in sitting here feeling sorry for yourself." I stood up and turned toward my bed when I saw it. A white cat had planted itself on my bed. I rushed over to it, "Out! Out, now!" I grabbed a dirty shirt out of the hamper and began to whip at it._

"_Can you not?" It said, disgruntled. The fucking cat talked. _

_I took a step back, "What? Is this a dream or something? I don't remember going to bed?"_

_It jumped off my bed and circled me, "No, Minako Aino, you're very much awake." It sat down in front of me again and looked up, "And I have some very important news for you."_

_I stared at it in shock, "Can I at least sit down?"_

"If you must." I took a seat on the edge of my bed and it, he, whatever, began, "You are the sailor guardian, Sailor V. Your past lives have consisted of you protecting Tokyo. You are important and you must continue on in this life to protect your city."

_I stared at him in utter confusion, "Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke? Are you, like, a robot?" _

_He hopped up next to me on the bed, "No, I hail from the planet Mau and it's my job to assure that you take on that power once again. I am a moon cat tasked with the job of assuring that you continue to do yours."_

_Well, if it's a dream, I might as well give into it. "Fine, okay. Then why? Why am I a sailor guardian or whatever?"_

"_You are the reason that Tokyo has never been completely wrecked with violence. And you should continue on in that journey, Minako. It is vital to Tokyo's present and future," he explained urgently._

_I fell back on my bed, "This is just unbelievable." A wand of sorts suddenly appeared in his mouth and he dropped it by my hand._

_"Believe what you want, but this is who you are. When you want to transform, you may call this transformation wand forth with either your mind or your words, but you must think or say 'Venus Planet Power, Make Up.' When you want to use an attack, call for the double crescent moon and it will appear, with which you will say, 'Crescent Beam'." He began to walk back toward the window to depart._

"_Venus? Is that what the V stands for? What importance does Venus have to me?" I asked, still on my back staring at the ceiling. _

"_Nothing you need to worry about, but yes, the V stands for Venus. Good luck, Minako. Use your powers wisely." He hopped out of the window and I shook my head incredulously._

"_There's no way any part of that was real," I mumbled to myself. "What a fucked up birthday, indeed." Then I sat up and picked up the wand he handed me, "But I wonder..."_

* * *

"If you're a detective, why do you go on patrols, and why do you have a partner? Do you not get specific cases?" Masami asked from the passenger seat as we patrolled the downtown area.

"It's complicated," I mumbled, "I only get the most important cases, and when there are none that need to be immediately attended to – which sounds pretty fucked up when you consider that it means the Chief finds some cases more important than others – I go on patrols. I was given a partner to, uh, tame me, to say the least."

"Interesting. So, did you choose the red bow, or is it part of the uniform?"

"It's the only part of the uniform that I chose, actually," I told her as I turned on the turn signal.

"Do you always wear that one, or do you switch up the colors?" Damn, she sure was a curious one.

"The red bow is a sort of symbolism, but only I know it, really." I really did not want to get onto the subject.

"And why is that?" Christ, can she ask any more questions?

"It's a personal thing. Don't press your luck." I gripped the steering wheel with one hand and turned up the police radio a bit more with the other, though nothing seemed to be happening.

She sat back a bit, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to get to know you, is all."

I relaxed a bit, "It's fine, there are just some things I hate talking about, and I'm sure you understand. I've had a good share of shitty experiences."

Masami smiled at that, "You're okay, Sailor V."

* * *

_I made sure my door was closed completely and stood up. "Venus Planet Power, Make-Up." I tried not to shout it, and it still seemed to work. I felt immense power fill my body and even my clothes transformed. I stared in the mirror after it finished, my eyes resembling a deer-in-the-headlights. _What the hell just happened?! _I looked down at my hands, which were now clothed in white gloves with orange hems, and almost began to panic. I felt invincible, and yet completely vulnerable at the same time. _So the talking cat wasn't a farce. _I walked to my window and pushed it open. It was dark and my parents didn't care enough to come check on me at night, so I escaped out of it and headed to the city, thinking that maybe I should see what all the fuss was about._

* * *

"You jumped to that conclusion pretty fast," I told her as I turned another corner. "What made you want to become a cop, anyway?"

Masami shrugged, "I like that you're human and that you're not afraid of it. And you know, I'm not exactly sure why I'm a cop, to be honest with you. As high school graduation got closer, I just kind of realized that I had to make a choice. It seemed like a good decision, is all."

"You're still young, and you seem pretty intelligent. Get out while you can," I clenched my jaw. The poor girl, she didn't know what she'd gotten herself into.

"You're younger than I am, Sailor V. Why haven't you gotten out yet?" I guess I should have expected her to ask. It was the only sensible follow-up to my question.

"I'm not really good at anything, other than this. I have no future. Just ask Captain Sasaki; he doesn't give a shit about me and will gladly tell you everything that he thinks of me. 'Sailor V is all you'll ever be,' he says, 'so don't get cocky'." I eased onto the brake as a red light flicked on in front of us. Normally, talking about things like that would upset someone, but I was used to the verbal abuse at this point.

"You're Sailor V, though!" She almost sounded desperate to make me believe anything else about myself, "You have so much to offer the world. Why stay in Tokyo?"

I gripped the steering wheel and tried to hold back the tears. "I'm a real fucking person under this disguise, Masami. And the girl I really am is pathetic and lonely and useless."

"I don't believe you for a moment," her voice was low and somber.

"You'll learn." The conversation was pretty heavy for having only just met someone.

* * *

_I made my way downtown, which I didn't live far from, and it was completely terrifying to be out there alone. I hoped that no one would recognize me, which was risky in and of itself. I had always thought that, even as a major city, Tokyo was quiet at night. I guess that's a perk of living on the outskirts, because there was no single moment of peace. I scoured the streets, looking for anything that hadn't already had a police presence there so that I could use my new powers to save someone._

_I heard a scream come from the apartment building that towered over me. I went to the fire escape and hoped they would continue to scream so I could reach them, and they did. It was five stories up, but somehow the stair climbing didn't exhaust me. I kicked the window in with the heel of my shoe and looked in, and I froze._

* * *

I tried to ease the awkwardness of the situation, "So, are you married? Do you have a boyfriend or what?"

Masami blushed, "Um, I'm single, but I'm not _into _guys, if you know what I mean."

"You seem really nervous about that," I grinned at her. "No shame in being a lesbian, I promise."

Masami shrugged, "I've just had a tough time dealing with it. I'm not ashamed or anything, it's just that my father hasn't spoken to me since I came out to him a couple of months ago, shortly before I graduated from the academy. I was living on my own at that point, which is why it felt safe enough."

I felt for her, I did. "I never came out to my parents, they just saw me dating other women and it didn't matter because they don't care about me anyway."

Masami looked at me for a moment, "You too, huh?"

I laughed shortly, "Yeah, me too."

A message came over the radio. "Domestic Dispute occurring southwest of the Shibuya crossing outside of the Shibuya Tobu Hotel's west side, units respond."

I snatched up the radio, "Unit 12 responding, we're two blocks away. Out." I put it back on the hook and flipped on the lights. "You ready for this, Masami?"

She shot me a nervous look, "Uh, yeah, of course!" I began to speed around the pulled-over cars on the street and turned onto the road we needed to be on.

"Get ready, Masami," I slammed on the brakes and put it in park. "Let's go!" She drew her gun and I called forth my double crescent moon _just in case, _we threw open the doors and got out, and we went in on both sides. I saw the exchange immediately, "Stop right there!"

* * *

_There was a man with a hand around a woman's neck. "Scream again and I'll kill you right now," he snarled, "I told you not to cross me, you stupid bitch."_

"_Stop right there!" He hadn't heard me break the window, so it threw him off to see me there. "Get off of her or _I_ will kill _you_ right now." I couldn't say where I got the sudden confidence._

_The man wielded a knife and held it to the woman's throat, dropping his other hand. She was shaking, half naked, and I had never seen such fear on someone's face. "I'll kill her and then I'll kill you, how about that?" _

_I closed my eyes and called forth my weapon. It appeared in my hand and I held it up. "You have five seconds. Five... four..."_

_He began to laugh hysterically, pushing the knife harder against his victim's throat._

"_Three... two..."_

"_You can't fucking hurt me, you're just a kid!" he laughed again._

"_One. Crescent Beam!" I channeled my power to the double crescent and a bright light erupted out of it. It enveloped the man and he froze, his grip on the knife loosened and it fell onto the bed, and the light disappeared as he fell over. _

_The woman jumped up and looked at me, "What the hell did you do!"_

What_? "I just saved your life! That's what I did!"_

_She got out of bed and grabbed her jacket from the floor. "This is an undercover operation. We were about to apprehend him. I've been trying to get evidence on this guy for months!" She stared down at the body and kicked it, "And you fucking killed him in one-fell swoop."_

"_You sounded like you were in danger. I was doing my job," I argued. _

"_So was I!" She growled. Then, the bedroom door was busted open and numerous officers infiltrated the area. _

"_What the hell happened here?" Asked the man who looked as though he was in charge. _

"_I signaled for you guys and then she just appeared out of nowhere!" The woman exclaimed as she zipped up the jacket she had put on. "She killed our perp!"_

"_Who are you?" He turned to me now, his eyes full of fire._

"_I'm... I'm..." _Come on, Minako, think of something! _"For love and justice, Sailor V, on the scene!" Love and justice? Classy._

"_Well, Sailor V, the court will hear of your disruption!" He grabbed his handcuffs and took a step towards me. I panicked and leapt out of the window and escaped as quickly as I could toward home, where I could release my transformation and hopefully not be recognized._

* * *

"Sailor V, help me!" The young woman shouted from against the wall, with whom I assumed was a stranger holding her against it, his fist in the air.

When he saw me, he jumped away and threw his hands up, "She hit me first!"

"I told him to get away from me, and he wouldn't." She moved away from the wall of the hotel. We were starting to draw spectators.

"Do you know this man?" Masami had moved to begin restraining the man so he couldn't run.

"No, I was just walking to a business meeting in the Hotel's conference room when he approached me. He began to say lewd things and I told him to leave me alone, and he wouldn't." She was trying to regain her composure, "So I, uh, hit him."

I walked up to the man and grabbed the collar of his shirt, "You think it's fucking cute to harass women on the street? Do you really think that's okay?"

He turned his cheek to me so I could not watch him head-on, "I just wanted to chat with her."

Male entitlement's a bastard. "She told you to leave her alone, and you didn't. That's not just 'wanting to chat'. That's harassment, and I will be sure the court knows that you were ready to attack her when we got to the scene."

Masami gave me a semi-frightened look. I told her she'd find out why Sasaki was worried about her. She pulled out her cuffs and shoved him away toward the patrol car as I slowly approached the woman. "What's your name?" I asked gently.

"M-Mizuno Ami," she sputtered. The name sounded familiar. She was tiny with an unnaturally blue hair color, an over-the-shoulder laptop bag draped against her business suit, and a pair of glasses.

"Well, Miss Mizuno, I'm glad we got here when we did. Are you all right?" She looked down and nodded slowly. "Okay, well I'm going to have another officer take you down to the station so we can get your statement."

Her eyes were wide when she looked up at me, "Right now? I have to get to my meeting! I'm already late!"

"Well, we can wait a few hours." I winked at her, "Just come down to the station after your conference. I'll let them know that you won't forget a single detail." I flashed a smile before turning to make my way back to the patrol car.

"Wait!" The woman shouted. She couldn't have been much older than me. I turned back around. "Thanks again, Sailor V. Tell your partner the same." She bowed and then began to head into the hotel.

I got into the driver's seat of the patrol car and turned around to the man in the backseat. "You're going to regret today when you decided to fuck with a woman on Sailor V's watch." I smiled at him mischievously and then looked at Masami, "And also, the young woman said thank you."

"You kind of scared me back there," Masami said, feigning seriousness, as she fastened her seatbelt. Then, she chuckled, "It was awesome."


	3. Chapter 3: Past

**Author's Note**: So, I've done quite a bit of planning for this fic, and that includes having chapters written ahead of time (for example, I've posted this, which means chapter 4 is finished and ready), but I still update on a weekly basis so that I don't get burnt out or annoyed with this story. Just a heads up! Anyway, let me know what you think :)

* * *

_You could almost see the metaphorical thick, dark cloud that hung over my bed sometimes. The days when the depression hit were the worst. I couldn't get out of bed, my mind full of all of the things that could, most definitely would go wrong throughout the day; the energy in my body depleted by the thoughts that I can't make leave, and every bit of will I have gone. The anti-depressants worked for the most part, but I still had those days._

"_Mina, Mina!" Ali entered into my dark room excitedly. "Get up, we're going to Disney World!" _

_I turned away from the door, "I don't want to. You guys go without me." _

"_But, Mina, it's my birthday..." My younger sister's voice was soft and sad. "You said you couldn't wait to celebrate with me." _

"_I'm sorry, Ali. I just can't do it today. I'll make it up to you, I promise." I pulled the blanket up over my head as the tears began to flow._

"_You're the worst!" She shouted, slamming my door. I heard her stomp down the hall and tell my parents what had gone on, but they only told her that I needed to be left alone and that they'd make sure her birthday was extra special, and how sorry they were that her sister was so selfish._

_I heard them leave and drifted off to sleep not long after. Sleep was always nice for keeping my head quiet until the bout ends. I don't know how long I slept, but I was awoken by a lot of commotion coming from downstairs. I couldn't get a hold on what was going on, so I ran a brush through my hair and threw on a pair of pants, opening my door to make my way downstairs._

_All I saw were my parents on the couch, my mother an inconsolable, sobbing mess and my father trying to comfort her. There were officers making attempts to talk to them and getting nowhere. I made my presence known, "What's going on? Where's Ali?"_

_My mom sobbed harder and my dad chastised me for asking. I looked to one of the officers, whose face dropped, "Your sister was kidnapped at the amusement park, and we found her body in the supply closet of one of the restaurants."_

_I could feel the world crash around me, felt it go dark. "No, it's not her. It's someone else. You guys are just conf-"_

"_Minako!" My father scolded, "Stop. We saw her ourselves." His eyes were red and full of hatred, aimed at me._

* * *

We were driving back to the station, the day pretty much over, when Masami turned to me. "Wanna get a drink after work?"

I bit the inside of my cheek and sighed to myself. This was part of the reason no one on the force liked me. "I, uh, can't. You have to have a certain amount of security clearances to know who I actually am, and I can't really be out in public as Sailor V." I glanced at her sympathetically, "Sorry."

She smiled, although she was clearly disappointed. "Well, maybe one day I'll have the honor. But I understand." She turned back forward in the seat and looked out the windshield, a lot clearly on her mind.

"Look, I really am sorry. I would love to do that, but like I said..."

"I really do understand, Sailor V." Masami smiled at me again, for real this time. She then laughed, "I might head to the bar by myself anyway, and then just scare away the creeps by telling them I'm a cop."

I suddenly had a great idea. "What bar?"

"The Mayu. It's pretty fancy, but I'm basically a regular there," she replied.

"I've been there once or twice..." I commented, my voice trailing off.

Masami smirked, "Who knows, I've probably seen you there once or twice."

_Probably_, I grinned to myself.

* * *

"Minako, you didn't kill anyone today. Do I have Masami to thank for that?" Sasaki might as well have been literally patting himself on the back for that one. We were driving back to my bike at that point.

I glared at him, "Shut up." I wanted to brag about my new partner, how well we got along, how much we had in common. But not to him.

"I saw that Mizuno woman who you helped this morning. She had blue hair. Kids these days amaze me," he shook his head and muttered something incoherent to himself.

I shrugged, "It suits her. I think we went to the same high school. I heard she's already in medical school, which doesn't surprise me because of how intelligent she had always been. Top of the class, top in the country."

Sasaki huffed, "Maybe you should've hung out with her in high school. You might be worth something."

I clenched my jaw, "Are we really fucking doing this right now, Sasaki?"

"You're strong, and you can be a positive force when you want, but you're too violent and you have nothing to you outside of Sailor V." He explained in that god forsaken monotonous tone.

"I'm the best officer on the force and you still choose to fuck me over and bring me down every chance you get. I don't know why. Just shut up," I repeated. It wasn't even worth it to try and defend myself. He managed to actually stay quiet for the rest of the trip, for which I silently thanked every God.

He pulled up next to my motorcycle and called "goodbye!" after me when I slammed the door of his brand new car. I flipped him off and climbed onto my motorcycle, slipping my helmet on. I wasn't going to let him ruin my night, because Aino Minako was going to make an actual, real friend.

When I got back to my apartment, I figured I'd factor in a quick nap before getting ready, because it had been a long day and it would be an even longer night. I set an alarm for an hour and a half and stripped to just my underwear, crawling into bed and immediately falling asleep.

* * *

"_She can't be gone...," I pressed my palms against the side of my head, trying to slow down the swarming thoughts, "This is all my fault. I should've been there." I dropped to my knees, completely and irrevocably lost._

"_Yeah," My mom agreed, "You were too selfish to pull yourself out of bed."_

_A stab of pain shot through my heart. My own mother blamed me. "I was having one of my really bad days, mom," I told her weakly, "I couldn't." _

"_Bullshit," Mother rolled her eyes and shook her head in disappointment, "You always have a fucking excuse."_

_I looked at my dad incredulously, "Aren't you going to say anything?"  
_

_He glared at me, "There are other people here, Minako." I looked around at the officers, who were watching our exchange in silent curiosity, and stormed up to my room._

_I spent the next year wondering how I would've changed it, how me being there would have eliminated the chance of it being _her_ that was attacked that day. I have never not blamed myself for her murder._

* * *

I woke up slightly groggy. Nothing a hot shower wouldn't fix. When I blow dried my hair, I stared down at the red bow. If I wore it, she might recognize it, and if I didn't, I would feel nothing but guilt (it was that important to me). I sighed, deciding that I would come up with some excuse if she asked, and put it in anyway. I always did my makeup before I got dressed, for reasons unbeknownst to me, and applied a thick layer of liquid eyeliner to my top and bottom lids; other women always showed immense jealousy at how even the wings were. I applied a good amount of mascara and a nice red lipstick to top it off. I smiled in the mirror, a wreck on the inside but hot and inviting on the outside.

I left the bathroom and headed toward the closet. It was a weeknight and I had work in the morning, so I wasn't going to get too into the dressing-up process. I decided that a simple yellow blouse and pair of jeans would do, and maybe a pair of black stilettos. It was my style, anyway. I grabbed my leather jacket, keys, and wallet. The clock read 7:32 PM and I figured, hoped she would be there by then.

The bar was neither full nor empty by the time I arrived, a decent amount of people mulling about with drinks in their hands and trying to make conversation, a few stragglers sitting alone in a booth or on the edge of the bar alone, hovering over their beer mugs. I looked around intently and my eyes landed on Masami not long after. She was sitting alone, looking thoughtful, and drinking a martini. I composed myself, gliding toward the bar and taking a seat two stools down from her. I requested a rum and Coke from the bartender before looking around me. Masami was studying me, interested.

"Well hello," I half smirked at her, my eyes lingering on hers just long enough to show interest.

Masami blushed and looked back down to her drink, "Hi."

The bartender set my drink in front of me, and I thanked him and took a sip. I glanced at Masami, "What brings you to the bar on a work night, hm?"

She feigned a laugh, "Well, I invited someone to come with me, but she couldn't, so I figured I could at least ease my mind."

I gave a small laugh, "Is that so? You didn't want to invite anyone else?"

"I don't have a lot of friends, so it's hard for me to invite people to hang out with me, but I understand why she couldn't come, you know?" She then chuckled at herself, "Oh god, look at me spilling this to a stranger. You don't care, do you?"

Yeah, I do. I shrugged my shoulders, "Hey, I asked, and I don't mind. I don't have many friends, either. I don't have any at all, actually."

Masami tilted her head, "I don't believe it." She then laughed in disbelief and nodded, "You remind me so much of my partner at work. I'm a police officer and you two sound a lot alike."

I gulped, "She and I would get along great, then. You should hook us up."

Masami began to twist her stool around mindlessly, "I can't give anyone her information, actually." She considered the thought for a moment and stopped to look at me, "By the way, my name's Masami."

I grinned, "Minako. It's a pleasure."

She began to turn around in her chair again, "So what do you do for a living?"

I went for the excuse I gave my parents for why I never visit them, "Court reporter. Super exciting stuff, I'll tell ya."

"Maybe we'll cross paths while working!"

I flipped my hair to the side, "Oh, I'm sure we have before."

Masami downed the rest of her martini and then crossed her legs, "You don't look too familiar, except the hair and the bow, but we should definitely hang out sometime. Have a girls' night. Go wild. God knows I need it."

"That sounds nice. Really nice, actually. Let's do it." I grabbed a napkin and borrowed a pen from the bartender, scribbling down my name and number and handing it to her. "I'm free this weekend, if you are, too."

Masami blushed again, and I didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or genuine, "I'll definitely give you a call." She checked her watch, "I should go. I have some reports to fill out. It was great meeting you, I'll definitely give you a call this weekend."

She picked up her jacket and purse, checked to make sure she had her keys and credit card, and then said goodbye to me before exiting the bar.

I downed the rest of my rum and coke and then laughed, _mission accomplished_. I stuck around for another hour or so, taking a few drinks and trying to pry the guys off of me, making sure to put the fear of woman into them before calling it quits. I rose from the bar and the bartender stopped me.

"Are you good?" He asked me, concerned.

I put my finger up, signaling for him to give me a minute, and took a few steps. I turned to him, "I can walk straight, so I'm sure I can drive straight. Thanks!"

I started to walk again but his comment stopped me, "That chick earlier was really into you."

"Are you sure? I couldn't tell," I said nonchalantly, before walking out of the bar with my head up high, my night boosted by the very idea of it.


	4. Chapter 4: Growing

**Author's Note**: As promised, this week's update! Let me know how it's going so far. :) Thanks for reading xo

* * *

I woke up smiling. It wasn't a common occurrence and it wouldn't last long, since I did have a drive with Captain Sasaki coming up, but another day with Masami meant that I was willing to put up with it. I thanked the stars for feeling no after-effects from visiting the bar the previous night and skipped the shower, washing my face and changing into a pair of jeans and a plain blue crewneck. I yawned as I brushed my teeth and checked the time on my phone. _Not late! _I silently cheered, pulling a brush through my hair. Things seemed to be changing for the better.

I flipped on the news and ate breakfast, and it was the same as always – sad story, heartbreaking story, crime, crime, sad story, silver lining! I rolled my eyes, clicked the power button on the remote, and rinsed out my cereal bowl in the sink. "I guess I should get going," I said to myself, pulling on my leather jacket and grabbing my bag and motorcycle key.

"You're going to have to talk to me eventually, Sailor V," Sasaki chided as we headed toward the last security checkpoint. I held my ground by huffing and hitting the elevator button pretty hard. He only rolled his eyes, "I need you and Sargent Miyagi in my office when you find her. I've got a case for you."

"I hope it's an important one," I muttered, mostly to myself.

"I think you'll like working this one," he told me with a sideways smirk. I rolled my eyes apathetically at his comment, crossed my arms and stared at the light that lit up the chosen floor number.

I rushed out of the elevator as soon as the doors slid open. I searched for Masami and found her, naturally, filling her thermos full of coffee and creamer. I tapped her on the shoulder and her face lit up when she turned and saw me, which caused me to blush. I told her that Sasaki needed us in his office, so we walked there together, as she told me about the interesting woman she met at the bar. I pretended to be jealous, hiding the smile that said _I know_.

"She was super nice," she said between gulps of coffee, "We're supposed to have a girls night this weekend. I wish you could come." We entered through the doors to the Captain's office.

"Me, too."

"I have a case for the both of you," Sasaki's voice was husky as he dropped the large file onto his desk. It made a hollow _thump_ when it made contact with the wood. "Notorious pimp, well known in the underground trafficking scene." He looked at me, "I knew you'd like this one. He's your favorite kind of asshole to take down."

I gave him a sarcastic smile, "You know me _so _well, don't you?"

"Well enough to know that you'll get this taken care of in no time." He then turned his attention to Masami, "Your job is to make sure she doesn't go overboard and kill the guy. We want him brought to justice for the sake of the victims, and not all of them will want him dead. Also, he will be attending a dinner party in a few days and you two will go in undercover as a couple to gather intel and, if all goes well, capture him that evening."

"I don't get to kill the guy?" I complained, "If I remember correctly, you and I worked a case together like this not long ago, Captain, and every single woman who was made a victim begged me to let them plan a party for killing their Pimp. Which I didn't, because that would be unethical as an officer. I don't recall you being too angry about _that_, Sasaki."

He groaned in frustration, "This case is completely different. Our perp goes by the name of Rubeus and he is both very rich and very powerful. You've certainly got enough powerful enemies against you already, and if you kill him, they wouldn't waste a single day hunting you down." As if I care about dying. "And since we need you, you're not allowed to kill him. Got it?"

I rolled my eyes in response, and Masami cut in. "I can handle that. When do we start?"

I shot her a look and gave a curt reply, "Immediately. Let's go." I picked up the file and left the office, expecting Masami to follow me, and went straight to my office. When I sat down in my desk chair, she stood awkwardly at the door, not knowing where to go. I pointed the end of the pen I had picked up at a chair, "Pull up next to me and we'll make a game plan."

She clumsily pulled a chair up next to mine at the desk and hunkered down in it, and we went to work.

I pulled out the blueprint for the mansion where it would be held, placed perfectly on the outskirts of west Tokyo. "You won't be able to wear your mask," She said, an air of concern drifting through her sentence. "What if someone recognizes you?"

I laughed, "This is magic, Masami. With or without the mask, you could not recognize me in my civilian form unless you know that I am Sailor V and Sailor V is me."

She marveled at the statement for a moment, "Magic, huh? That's some SciFi shit."

"Ha, my whole life is some SciFi shit," I muttered. I continued, pulling out a photo of Rubeus himself. Red hair and eccentric style, he would be easy to point out in a crowd. "This is our guy," I held the photo up for Masami to examine.

"He looks like a freak. Should be easy enough to hunt him down."

I smirked, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

We spent two hours just planning how to get into the party, which was by invitation only, and how we would charm our way through the door. Masami snarled, "I am not doing anything 'sexy' for the doorman. You can count me out of that one."

I brushed her off, "We'll find a way around it, don't worry about it."

I started to read over the file, giving her the other half of it. "He's scummy," she growled as she flipped through it. I chuffed in reply and heard her begin to make indistinct noises as a result of what she was reading. She looked up at me in confusion, "Why do we need to gather intel when we clearly have everything we need to apprehend this fucker?"

"It was just another way for Sasaki to drill into my head that I can't fucking kill him," I lifted one shoulder in a shrug and then went back to skimming.

Masami seemed to completely ignore the comment when she looked up at me, "If we're supposed to be pretending to be a couple, does that mean we'll have to do couple-y things?"

_Unbelievable_. "I'm assuming so. Why, are you embarrassed of me?" I teased.

"No, no, I just thought I'd clarify that," she shot back nervously.

I winked at her, only half joking, and looked back down at the file. "I'm starved. Are you starved? I'm starved. Let's order sushi from that place down the street. It's amazing."

Masami looked down, "I, uh, brought a bento lunch, actually."

"You make your own lunches? That's so cute," I said endearingly.

"Oh god, V. Don't do this to me."

I chuckled, "That's fine, I'll probably just go to the hamburger shop down the road. Their gourmet burgers are to die for." And then I remembered. "Shit. Will you go for me? I can't really go out alone and all that."

She giggled, "Of course, V."

We sat down in my office for lunch, pushing all the work aside, and she cleared her throat, "So how did you go from being the elusive Sailor V to working for the Tokyo PD? Did you choose to do so or what?"

I sat up in my chair, "Well, shortly before my 20th birthday, I was on my way to the store at night – I was never afraid of going out alone at this point – when I heard these awful blood curdling screams coming from an alleyway. So, you know, naturally I found a place to transform and I took off toward the source." Masami was watching me in curious amazement. "And I get there and fuck me if there wasn't a soul in sight. I found this cassette player in the middle of the fucking alley and it replayed the screams and I just started to look around, frantic because I knew it was a trap. So, I called forth my weapon – the double crescent – and started shouting for them to show themselves and goddamn Sasaki just pops out of this crevice and he's like 'oh hey it's okay, Sailor V. I'm with the Tokyo PD and I just wanna talk to you about working for us.' And the rest is history."

I took a bite of my gourmet burger, moaning because of how awesome it was, when Masami decided to ask another question. "Did you want to join the force?"

I swallowed and then stared off in thought for a moment, "Not really. I didn't want to work under anyone, I wanted my own schedule and agenda, but at the end of the day, the money won out. My parents don't talk to me, so they were out of the question, and I was desperate for a source of income."

She opened her mouth to speak, as if she was going to press further, and then instead took a bite of the sandwich she made, clearly saving whatever conversation it would've turned into for another time. I had, indeed, been alluding to my family problems since we met. She'd ask about it eventually, I was sure. Finally, she spoke, "Money fucks us all over, one way or another."

I shook my head, "Ain't that the truth." I then sighed, "Though, as shitty as Cap treats me and as much as everyone else that works in this god forsaken station hates me, I can't say I regret it. I mean, hey, there's always you."

She flashed me a blushing smile before stifling it with a piece of fried shrimp. "Do you really like me _that _much, Sailor V?" I couldn't tell if she was nervous or excited about my forthcoming answer.

"I don't know, I might be in love with you," I joked. She burst out laughing, and I realized that she probably held her breath after asking, as if my opinion mattered that much to her. "No, but yeah, you're great. I don't have many friends, so it's nice to have met someone so down to earth."

"Me, too," she muttered, a soft chuckle echoing in her voice.

I was admiring the twinkle in her eye as she laughed when the door to my office slung open, "Get back to work, ladies," Sasaki scolded.

I glared at him, "We're having lunch, _sir_."

"I didn't ask _what _you were doing, Sailor V. I told you what you _should _be doing." He snarled, slamming the office door behind him and causing us to jump.

"He's suddenly in a bad mood," Masami murmured, taken aback.

"Nah, that's an everyday occurrence." I rolled my eyes and ate a handful of freedom fries. "I guess we should get back to work. We have a lot of planning left to do, I guess."

Masami groaned and shut her lunch box, "I was just starting to forget we were at work, too."


	5. Chapter 5: Infiltration

"You _can't _go to the dinner party as Sailor V," Captain Sasaki groaned as I transformed in the backseat of his car, his wife in the passenger seat. She was a beautiful woman, a few years younger than her husband. Half-Cuban, half-Japanese, her skin was a light brown and her hair and eyes dark. Her features were complimented by her naturally small, curvy frame.

She glared at him, "Daischi, leave the girl alone. You've got this all planned out, right, V?"

I smiled, thankful that one of them had basic common sense, "Right. We're going to the station, I'll change, and Masami and I will go from there."

"You guys sure latched onto each other quickly," Sasaki muttered from behind the wheel.

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" I retorted.

He grumbled something under his breath and his wife turned around to me, "I think it's great that you have a friend, Sailor V." Goddamn, she sounded like my mother. Well, more like my mother than my own mother, that is.

"So, Hana, how are the kids?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, Chou is growing up so fast. She's almost 11! And Kazuo just had his sixth birthday, so it's kind of hectic at home. But, you know how it is." It always amazed me how much she loved her children. It was something I couldn't understand.

I looked at Sasaki, "Do tell me you were there for Kazuo's party?"

He grumbled something about how busy he was, and Hana brushed it off with some statement about how important work is. I laughed to myself, realizing that maybe Sasaki was worse-off than me.

They walked me to my office, where the outfit I'd be wearing for the night was.

"Do you need help with the wire?"

I jeered at him, "I can work a wire, thanks."

He rolled his eyes, "Okay, tell the guys I'll be in in a few hours. You two should be in there by then and gathering intel to get him." He dug around in his big coat pocket for something and handed it to me, "And here's the arrest warrant, you'll be needing it if he objects."

"It's weird," I thought aloud, "We need proof of him being a scumbag, despite all of the evidence we have. Hell, we even got a warrant for his arrest. But whatever, we'll get him. Bye."

Sasaki groaned and shut the door behind his wife. Masami would be there in 20 minutes, so I got to work. The dress was short, though still dinner party appropriate, and a nice red. I slipped my mask off, placing it in the drawer of my desk. It would disappear when I released my transformation and come back when I called for it again, so it was safe there for now. I called forth my double crescent and slid it into the leg of my stocking, just in case, and made sure my wire was not noticeable through the fabric.

I fluffed my hair out and stared in the mirror I had hanging in my office. I wondered if Masami would think I looked alright, and sat down in my desk chair, turning it about and waiting for everyone else to show up to set up the control room. I pulled out my civilian-use phone and checked the text messages. I had a new one, which was surrounded by an otherwise barren inbox. It was from Masami.

"Hey Minako!" It read, "Can't wait for our girl's night this weekend :)xx"

I smiled excitedly to myself and texted back, "Me neither! Its gonna be great xx"

I shut my phone off and stowed it away in the clutch I had with me, tapping my foot impatiently. I heard the alarm beep, indicating that the front door had been opened, and I stood up and rushed out.

"Oh, it's just you," I said as a few of the control room guys walked in.

"Don't look so disappointed," one of them said with an eye roll. His name was Jadeite and he was a perpetual asshole.

"You look hot, V. I didn't expect you to look so feminine," Nephrite chuckled, Kunzite and Zoicite joining in. I shot daggers at them and then slank back into my office, hoping that the nerves would be worth it.

I sat back down in my office chair and groaned impatiently. She wasn't even running late. She said twenty minutes and it had only been sixteen (I had to keep count), but sometimes it was as if I had completely forgotten the meaning of the word "patience."

I heard the door alarm beep again and took a deep breath, composing myself and fixing my dress before walking out and shutting the door behind me. At the door stood Masami, in a long flowing black dress, a slit that went from the ground to just above her knee, and a diamond-studded clutch. I stared at her in wonder when she shook her head, "Was it you or me who was supposed to wear a tux? I couldn't remember!"

I laughed shakily and cleared my throat, "Nah, I think we're good as we are." I tried to avoid any conversation about just how amazing she looked and straightened my shoulders, "Got your wire hooked up? We need to run into the control room and make sure everything is set up there and we can go."

"I sure do!" She beamed, "Sounds good!"

We walked together into the control room and one of the guys – I didn't catch which, they all blended together in my eyes – whistled at Masami. I gritted my teeth, "We're here to make sure everything is set up and done right. Sasaki said he'd be here in a couple of hours."

"The audio's up and running. I'm kind of offended you ladies don't get a bra camera, though. We could help you spot the guy," Kunzite said, and I thought of all the awful things I would've liked to do to him at that point.

"I'm very capable of doing my job, thanks," I said, my voice dripping with contempt. I slipped my earbud in so we could communicate and Masami did the same. I then rested my hand on her shoulder and smiled sweetly, "Are you ready?"

"Let's go!" Her voice was so cheerful. If I hadn't known any better, I would've ventured to say it was fake, but it seemed genuine enough.

The mansion wasn't too far away, and it was impossible to miss, so we were ready to go not fifteen minutes later. I looked at Masami expectantly, "Are you ready for your first real op?"

She nodded her head reluctantly and we exited the car, she handed the valet her keys, and I looped my arm through hers. We marched up to the door, smiles adorning our faces, and I sighed, "I know it's disappointing, but I definitely left our invite back at the house and stupidly didn't turn around. Is there anyway we can play the honor system and you can let us in?" I smiled at the doorman.

He grumbled something under his breath, "Get the fuck out of here."

I looked down at the ground in defeat before glancing at Masami, "Oh dear, I'm sorry I didn't turn around to grab the invites. I'm sorry, let's just go, hm?"

She faced me and grabbed my face with her free hand, "You can make it up to me later," and planted a big kiss right on my lips. I went along with it as if it didn't mean anything, although I could feel the fire inside of me growing.

The doorman swayed uncomfortably before huffing, "Fine, go on."

We made it through the door and I adjusted the clutch under my arm. "You're a good kisser," I told her with an air of nonchalance.

Masami giggled, "You haven't seen anything yet."

I threw her a look, "Is that a promise?" Her reply was a sly smile hidden with wandering eyes.

I grabbed us a glass of champagne each and we faced each other, searching the dance floor for his red hair. "Anything?" I asked her in a hushed voice. She grunted her reply through a sip of champagne and I casually looked all around me.

"I see him!" Masami said in a harsh whisper, stopping me mid-twirl. "Your six o'clock." I corrected myself and hid my stare with another sip.

I set the glass down, "I'm gonna go charm him. Stay here, and watch us as if you're interested."

Masami agreed to the command and I began to walk toward the man named Rubeus, his red hair almost as repulsive as the things he was known to do. He was standing all alone at this point, and I put on the most seductive face I could manage.

I tilted my head, "My, my. What's a handsome man like you doing all alone at a place like this?"

A laugh came from somewhere in his chest and he looked me up and down, assessing my figure, "I'm actually kind of here on business." He gave me an odd look, "Say, how do you feel about, you know, fucking men for money?"

No way was he telling me all of this up front. That was impossible, no one's that stupid. Especially not someone who's eluded cops for the past few years.

"Prostitution," I said simply with an inquisitive nod. "You know, I never thought much about it. Why do you ask?" I shot a look to Masami, who I could tell had heard everything, and turned back to him.

He leaned in close, so his lips were right by my ear, and whispered unknowingly directly into the earbud I had, "Let's just say that I'm in the business, and I think you could make a lot of money with that body and your seduction skill."

I giggled innocently, "Me? I don't know. Maybe I'll consider it, though, I am a bit low on cash."

He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. A business card.

"Rubeus," I read. I looked up at him, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Masami walked up directly behind him, "And you are under arrest for the solicitation of a prostitute." I pulled the arrest warrant out of my clutch and shoved it in his face, trying not to laugh too loudly.

"You know," I said as I began to tuck the warrant back into my clutch, a crowd forming around us, "Usually perps who are able to avoid prosecution for so long are a lot smarter and don't just come out the first time they meet someone and tell them what they do for a living, especially if it's illegal. But I'll take it you're not _really _that smart."

He snarled, "You set me up, you stupid bitch."

Masami tightened the handcuffs around his wrist and began to push him toward the door, "You only have yourself to blame, buddy."

* * *

Back at the station, Rubeus was being booked and we were going over the audio from the party after Sasaki arrived.

"He really didn't even try to hide anything, huh?" He asked in disbelief.

"Nope. He's a fucking moron," I declared.

"Well. Good work, ladies. I'll see you on Monday, Masami?" He seemed as happy as he could manage that it had wrapped up quickly.

"Yeah! I'll see you guys later!" Masami smiled at me especially, "Bye, V. You did great tonight."

I bowed my head, "And you as well." I still remembered that kiss, my lips burning as she walked out the door.

I wasn't paying much attention and jumped a bit when Sasaki touched my arm, "Ready to go?"

I nodded, recomposing myself and willing my face to stop burning, because I could feel it, and I could tell the control room group had heard _something_, and they were eyeing me with jealous suspicion. I winked at the quartet before hearing the door alarm beep once again, "Come on, V." Sasaki willed, "I've got sleep to catch up on."

With that, we took the elevator down to the parking garage and I did my best to hide the smile that continuously peeked through my otherwise neutral expression, and I tried to keep away the nagging thoughts that _something _had to go wrong, and it most certainly would. But for now, I'd take what I could get.


	6. Chapter 6: Date

**Author's Note**: This chapter reads terribly I'm so sorry.

* * *

"Fuck, fuck, ow, shit, fuck, ow!" I held one foot and jumped up and down on the other. I had already stubbed my toe three times in the four hours I'd been cleaning the apartment in preparation for Masami's arrival. It was the same one, too, pinky toe on my right foot. It was red and swollen at that point. I inhaled deeply a few times and then stood back up, the throbbing pain shooting around the small area, and went back to singing along to my cleaning playlist.

Everyone who knew my music habits made fun of me. "You don't even really _know _French," they complain as I sing along to my favorite Yelle song. As I began to fold my laundry, I wondered if Masami would think it was weird, too. Nonetheless, I sang along anyway.

"_Que veux-tu? Je suis folle de toi. Mon coeur ne bat plus quand je te vois_."**

I began to sweep the kitchen, something I hadn't done in probably months, and started to make faces at all the shit that accumulates on your floor. The apartment smelled like bleach and, despite having opened all of the windows and turned on an exhaust fan, I was getting a headache. I deduced that fresh air would do me some good and, besides, I needed more candles. I turned off the stereo, grabbed my wallet, leather jacket, keys, and headed out the door. As expected, the fresh air got rid of my headache almost immediately.

There had always been something so therapeutic about riding my motorcycle. The way the wind zipped around me and how easily I snaked through traffic. The whirr of the air going by my covered ears comforted me on the worst days, the rev of the engine calming my heated emotions.

I stopped at the market just down the street. They had an excellent candle selection and some cakes I wouldn't mind having around. I picked up a few lighters at the checkout counter and set everything on the counter. The cashier eyed me, "You like candles, I take it?" I couldn't blame his remark, I _did _have about seven of varying sizes and scents sitting on the counter, waiting to be scanned.

I shot him a look, "I ran out and my apartment smells like bleach. And, yes, I do like candles." I slid my card through the card reader and grabbed my bags. When I got back to my bike, I put the bags in the leather holsters and headed back to the apartment, silently praying that the smell had cleared out a little bit.

I checked the clock after I walked into the door – 17:53. I had an hour until Masami got there, and the smell was only a bit less overtaking. I lit a few candles, placed them strategically throughout the apartment, and changed the laundry one last time. I hopped in for a quick shower to wash away all of the cleaning smells that had certainly accumulated on my skin. Being productive around the apartment wasn't a common occurrence for myself, I usually find cleaning to be intrusive and pointless, but it was nice from time to time. Especially when I had a date to impress.

I got out and quickly changed into a cute but comfortable outfit consisting of black running shorts and a red v-neck. I started to do my hair and as I pulled the straightener down the last piece, I heard the doorbell. My stomach tore itself in two as I bounded toward the door. I opened it to a smiling Masami, who bore bags and a bottle of wine.

"I brought sushi!" She announced happily. I cheered as I let her in and helped her set the stuff on the counters. "It's from that place down the street from the station. My partner was telling me about it and I figured it seemed okay enough, so I got some takeout! And also wine, because wine."

I began to open the medium-sized platter she had brought, "I'm starved! I've been cleaning all day and didn't think to stop and eat."

I stuffed a piece of sushi in my mouth and Masami rolled her eyes, "You didn't have to clean! I don't mind!"

I stopped mid-chew and glared at her and then swallowed, "Okay then. I won't clean next time and you'll never come over again after that."

"Already planning our next Girls' Night!" She laughed, "I'm down!" She picked up a piece of sushi and dipped it in soy sauce before completely devouring it.

I picked up the bottle of wine, "This looks great!" I cackled, "I can't wait to drink half the bottle."

"As long as I get the other half!" Masami said in a sing-song voice.

I picked up the sushi platter and the bottle of wine and looked at her, "Grab some wine glasses, we're going to watch a movie."

I sat everything on the coffee table and flipped on the television, taking a seat on the couch and offering up one of the two free cushions to Masami. She sat at the opposite end and picked up one of the paper towels she had brought to the living room, putting a few pieces of sushi on it and then kicking her feet up onto the table.

I smiled at her comfort, "I see you've made yourself at home already."

"Oh, you don't like feet on the table?" She had a worried expression on her face, and I assumed that she thought I was being passive-aggressive.

"No, no! I'm glad to see you're comfortable here."

She smirked and then ate another piece of sushi, casually winking and turning back towards the TV. I started to flip through the DVR when she began to point frantically, "That one! I've been wanting to watch it for ages!"

I looked between her and the TV screen, "Really? _That _one? I watched it a few weeks ago. Cried my eyes out. I don't think you want to watch it."

She set the paper towel down and grabbed the bottle of wine, "I'll pour us some drinks!"

I groaned and pressed play on the remote and ate a few more pieces of sushi before taking a drink. "This wine is amazing!" I commented, but Masami just 'shhh'd' me and glued her eyes to the TV, aside from taking sips of wine. I giggled at her and took another drink.

The movie was certainly a sad one, lots of death and no relief for the living characters. I managed not to cry as I watched it, though Masami was a mess. The credits rolled and I shut the TV off, moving closer and putting my arm around her comfort. "Hey," I said softly, "It's all right. Just a movie."

I think she had forgotten where she was, because she immediately sat up and wiped her eyes and shook her head, "Sorry, sorry, I'm okay. It just brought on a lot of bad memories."

I released her from under my arm and sat back, "You lost someone too, huh?"

She dropped her gaze to the ground, "My mother, when I was 12. Cancer. It was terrible, and so many times we had thought we were through the worst parts and then one day she just..." She covered her face with her hands and let out a moan. She pulled back up. "I'm sorry, I'm all right... I'm all right."

I could feel that she was embarrassed from revealing so much about herself so I just sat back, "My sister was killed on her fourteenth birthday. She and my parents went to Disney World and I didn't go because I was having one of my bouts of depression. And she was killed because no one was watching her. I blame myself everyday." I didn't cry, the only thing it made me feel was numb.

She threw her arms around me, the wine loosening her up just enough to feel comfortable with it, "Oh Minako, don't blame yourself. I doubt even you could have stopped it."

"My parents blame me, too, so it doesn't make it any easier." I closed my eyes, "They haven't spoken to me in ages."

She pulled away and crossed her arms, "Well they suck anyway. More wine!" We raised our glasses to our lost loved ones and when she set the wine glass down on the coffee table, she looked at me again. "You know, my dad hasn't talked to me too much lately, either. I'm his only child, and his only daughter, and the only thing he ever asked of me was for grandchildren. Well," she let out a small chuckle, "lesbians don't usually get pregnant. And even if I could do in-vitro or something, I don't even know if I want kids."

I examined her for a second, quickly taking in her demeanor. Somehow, she had felt it not a big deal to tell me her secrets. It was beautiful, in a way. I laid my head back, "Masami, do you think I'm weird?"

I had to admit that it was a strange question, and based on her expression, I'd have to say that she agreed. "You're different. In a good way, that is. Meeting you was like a breath of fresh air, honestly. I feel like I've known you my entire life, and yet we met only the other day. I would have never taken such a chance on anyone else, you know?"

We talked long into the night about life, love, and philosophy, moving to my bed for a more comfortable place to lay. We shared stories about high school and girls we've dated before. As the night progressed, we told each other stupid jokes and laughed way too hard. All I could remember was falling asleep before her, on the opposite side of the bed with my hands on my stomach.

I woke up first, assessed my surroundings and rubbed the sleep from my eyes with one hand. Masami was curled up in a ball and I took the moment to watch her sleep. She had her hand wrapped around mine and I could swear that I had never seen anyone else look so gorgeous, so peaceful while sleeping.

I carefully slid my hand out of hers and crept to the kitchen, wanting to surprise her with breakfast. I made rolled omelets, my favorite, and carried the plates to the small dining table I had near the kitchen and set the plates and glasses of orange juice on them. I went to the room and gently shook Masami awake. "I made breakfast," I told her with an excited smile.

She sat up and stretched her arms. Her voice was sleepy when she spoke, "I'll be out in a minute. I need to stop by the bathroom on the way." She yawned again and slipped out of my bed and I pointed her toward the bathroom as a reminder and went to sit down at the table.

When she came in from the bathroom, her eyes lit up. "Rolled omelets! Those are my favorite." She took a seat across from me and immediately dug in. I gave her a weird look and then began to laugh, because I'd never seen anyone so excited about eating food. She sat up from her plate and wiped a bit of cheese off of her lip, "Uh, sorry, I've forgotten my manners."

"I don't mind," I told her with a smile, realizing that she was everything I had been missing and needing in my life.

* * *

**Translation: What can you do? I'm crazy about you. My heart stops beating when I see you. (translation from Yelle's website, for accuracy)


End file.
